Military bands continue tradition of concerts at Fort Monroe starting June 14

The USAF Heritage of America Band will perform at Fort Monroe this summer.

Courtesy of USAF Heritage of America Band

The USAF Heritage of America Band will perform at Fort Monroe this summer.

The USAF Heritage of America Band will perform at Fort Monroe this summer. (Courtesy of USAF Heritage of America Band)

Sam McDonald

Even though the Army has decamped, the bands will play on. The Fort Monroe Authority announced this week that the music series previously called Music Under the Stars will continue this summer under the name Music by the Bay.

The Thursday-night series begins June 14 with U.S. Fleet Forces Band-Wind Ensemble and will continue through a special Friday night concert Aug. 31 kicking off Labor Day weekend.

"The military summer concert series was a very popular tradition at Fort Monroe and the FMA is extremely proud to be able to continue that tradition by partnering with the military bands in our region" said Glenn Oder, executive director of the authority, in a press release. "We encourage everyone to visit Fort Monroe and enjoy this one-of-a-kind venue on the bay."

Here's the full press release.

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FORT MONROE ANNOUNCES “MUSIC BY THE BAY” SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band, U.S. Fleet Forces Band, Federal City Brass Band and the Virginia Symphony offer Music and Fun for the Entire Family Starting in June at Fort Monroe.

FORT MONROE, VA – The Fort Monroe Authority will launch its newly named Music by the Bay at Fort Monroe Summer Concert Series. The performances will take place at the Gazebo at Continental Park featuring several outstanding regional military bands each Thursday evening beginning June 14, 2012 at 7 p.m. (except for the Virginia Symphony concert finale which will be held on Friday, August 31st beginning at 7:30 p.m.) All concerts are free and open to the public. The lineup includes:

“The military summer concert series was a very popular tradition at Fort Monroe and the FMA is extremely proud to be able to continue that tradition by partnering with the military bands in our region” says Glenn Oder, Executive Director of the Fort Monroe Authority. “We encourage everyone to visit Fort Monroe and enjoy this one-of-a-kind venue on the bay”, says Oder. The summer concert series at Continental Park offers people amazing music, at a historic and beautiful location for free. This new series will attract audiences from across the region and continues a 70-year history of concerts held at Fort Monroe, while it was an active Army base. Mr. Oder added, “We're also extremely excited to announce the Virginia Symphony Orchestra will play at Fort Monroe for the first time to wrap up the concert series on August 31st. The Symphony’s performance will be the concert series’ grand finale rounding out the Fort Monroe tradition of ending the concert series with Tchaikovsky’s "Overture of 1812”.

About the Bands performing this summer:

The Federal City Brass Band, founded in 2002 by Jari Villanueva and Mark Elrod, recreates the sound and appearance of a regularU.S. Army regimental brass band of the 1860s. With the exception of some reproduction rope-tension drums, all of the instruments used by The Federal City Brass Band are originals dating to the mid-19th century, and come from the collections of band members and from the Mark A. Elrod Collection. The sources of the music the band plays include original band journals and sheet music of the Civil War era.

The U.S. Fleet Forces Band is the musical representative for the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and is the largest of the Navy's 11 Fleet Bands. Established in 1945, this unit provides musical support for ships, military bases, foreign dignitaries, and many community relations events. The band, under the direction of Lieutenant Commander Bruce A. McDonald, is fortunate to be staffed by some of the Navy's finest and most talented musicians. The U. S. Fleet Forces Band is comprised of 60 Navy musicians that perform in a variety of ensembles, including the Wind Ensemble, Ceremonial Band, Fleet Jazz Ensemble, the rock band “Four Star Edition,” along with a variety of chamber music ensembles.

The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band has a rich history of inspiring hearts and minds, building and sustaining American patriotism, and enhancing esprit de corps in the United States Air Force. It was one of the original Army Air Corps bands, created by order of the Secretary of War on October 1, 1941 and assigned to Barksdale Field, Louisiana. In June 1946, after a short stay at Brooks Field, Texas, the band arrived at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, its current home. The band's 45 men and women are assigned to two primary ensembles: the USAF Heritage of America Concert Band and the Blue Aces popular music ensemble. The concert band breaks down into five smaller touring groups: the Heritage Brass Quintet, the Langley Winds woodwind ensemble, Rhythm in Blue jazz ensemble, and our newest Dixie-style ensemble Heritage Ramblers.

The Virginia Symphony has enriched the communities of Hampton Roads for 90 years, offering more than 140 classical, pops, family, educational, and outreach concerts each season, including orchestral support of the Virginia Opera and the Virginia Arts Festival. Under Grammy Award-Winning Music Director JoAnne Falletta's leadership, the orchestra has risen to new artistic heights. In August 2000, the Virginia Symphony was accepted into the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, officially entering the “major league” of symphony orchestras. VSO concerts are performed throughout Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. The lineup and schedule are subject to change.